


Anyone Have a Pencil?

by TriplePirouette



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Anti-Sousa, Anti-Thompson, F/M, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:09:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27193582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriplePirouette/pseuds/TriplePirouette
Summary: Tumblr Ask Fic. Steve works with Peggy and has to be creative to deal with Thompson and Sousa.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Comments: 10
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr Anon prompted: steve being there when jack and sousa are sexist pieces of crap rather they know steve is cap or not. and steve knows peggy can defend herself of course she can. he's not defending her because she can't. he's defending her because he can't stand sexist assholes and thankfully he works under Colonel Phillips and not Jack Thompson, so he has no problem handling sexist pigs.
> 
> Oh, my lovely anon. I’m sorry this won’t be what you want. I mean, on one hand, I get it. Steve doesn’t like bullies no matter who they are, and his impetus would be to punch them. But Peggy plays this very calmly, knowing any action or reaction from her (especially looked at through that time period lens) would be detrimental to her career and would likely only make things worse. 
> 
> I really DO think Steve would see that and follow her lead. That means no violence. (unless, like I wrote in Tactical Insertions, he has a REALLY good excuse or is under the influence of a foreign substance.) 
> 
> But Steve is also cunning, so... that’s how you get this. 
> 
> (Insert your favorite “Steve works at the SSR with Peggy” headcanon here.)

It didn’t take Steve very long to see that he, the Commandos, Howard, and Phillips, were in the minority when it came to how well they took to working with a woman. Steve just had assumed that usefulness, by anyone, should be treated as such by everyone. 

He found he was woefully mistaken. 

He wasn’t sure if she covered her distain for lunch orders and getting coffee for his sake or hers, but he knew that he didn’t like it. Dooley, occasionally, managed to get his head out of his ass when it came to Peggy’s abilities. Sousa… he didn’t like the man or the crush he had on Peggy, but in general he tried to treat her somewhat decently. 

Thompson was a whole other monster. 

Having witnessed Thompson’s sexism, ire, and downright rudeness, Steve told Peggy just exactly what he’d like to do to the man. Apparently, his desire to defend her honor had not gone over well, and Peggy made him promise he’d never lay a hand on the man. 

“We’re better than that,” she’s muttered, “Better than him.”

It took Steve a while to figure it out, how to make the man’s life a living hell, but he did eventually do it. 

He was slowly but surely gaslighting the hell out of him. 

It started with pencils. Steve made sure the man never had a pencil in his desk, or if there was a pencil, the tip was broken beyond use. When Thompson first switched to pens it was pretty easy to swipe those, too, until he started keeping one in his pocket. 

It took Steve two weeks before he was able to swipe it out of his pocket without notice, and the look on Thomson’s face was priceless when he patted down his pockets and came up empty. 

Then he started leaving a single paperclip in the man’s coffee cup.

Empty, full, didn’t matter. If he passed the man’s desk he dropped a single, silver paperclip in his coffee cup. 

Thompson was furious, especially when he’d get to the bottom of a cup and find a wet paperclip sitting in the dregs. He blamed everyone, literally everyone, except Steve. 

Once he started flipping his cup over on his desk the slight of hand Steve had learned to get the pen out of his pocket came in handy to slide the paperclips under the cup. 

It wasn’t until Steve got a little bolder, until he started taking the staples out of his stapler every night after he left, that Peggy found out. She walked in on him, red handed. 

She looked carefully down at his hands, then up at his face that was turning bright red, then back down at his hands. “I’ll assume it’s been you then, with the pens and pencils and the paperclips as well?”

Steve nodded, staples in one hand, stapler in the other. 

She only nodded and quickly switched trains of thought. “I was thinking we should stop at the bistro down the street for dinner tonight. I’m famished and far too tired to cook.”

Steve, utterly confused, nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”

She smiled, turning. “As you were.”

He watched her leave, smiling. He slipped the empty stapler back on Thompson's desk, sliding the staples in his pocket to be put back in the supply closet on his way out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by Anon: Steve is forced to work with Jack and/or Sousa who they don't know is dating Peggy so things ensure as normal. [Please if you wanna continue the Steve gaslighting one go ahead!]

The one thing Steve hated was that they had both decided to keep their relationship a secret. He hadn’t exactly been in favor of it, but the PR guys loved the idea of Captain America being single and Peggy had sworn up and down it would be better for them at work.

Steve hadn’t realized why until he heard the first “So she worked under you, huh?” crack in the locker room.

Those six words were why Steve was intent on making Thompson’s life a living hell.

And then, there was Sousa.

Steve felt bad for the man, he did. Not because he’d lost his leg, but because he could identify with the feeling of not being enough. He’d experienced it for so long himself, he spotted it easily. What he didn’t quite like was how that somehow turned into Peggy being the only way to make up for it.

Like he deserved her for all he went through.

No one deserved Peggy Carter. You were a lucky bastard if she chose you, but no one actually would ever, in a million years, deserve her.

Steve didn’t pity him, exactly, so much as feel bad the guy couldn’t get the hint to move on. Peggy was nice to him, cordial, even, but never accepted his advances or his invitations. Steve did his best to help him out, but he seemed to be a little thick.

They were sitting in a car, tailing a suspect when Sousa spoke. “You know Peggy pretty well, right?”

Steve hummed in the affirmative, keeping his eyes on the backdoor of the restaurant. Sousa did not want to know just exactly how well, and in how many different ways, he knew Peggy Carter.

“You think she’s as smart as she thinks she is?” Sousa pulled a mouthful from his paper coffee cup, grimacing when it was cold. “I mean, she can’t be stupid or else she wouldn’t have gotten into the SSR, but…”

“Smartest person I know, man or woman,” Steve mumbled, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

“Aside from Stark, you mean.” Sousa opened the window and dumped the coffee out.

Steve didn’t say what he wanted, which was that Stark had the potential to be just as stupid as any of them, especially when it came to women. “Different kind of smart,” was all he replied. “What makes you doubt how smart she is?”

“She ain’t getting my hints. I mean, they’re not little hints anymore. Not just asking how her day was or seeing if she wants to join us for drinks or backing her up on some crazy theory-"

“Crazy theory?” Steve sat straighter, looking at the man.

“Yeah,” Sousa slumped. “You know, sticking up for her with Dooley to try to get her to notice me.”

Steve clenched and unclenched his fists. “Every lead she’s brought to Dooley in the last six months, at least, has panned out.”

Sousa chuckled, “Which is crazy, right?”

“Not crazy.” Steve was clenching his jaw. “She’s good at her job.”

“Well, anyway, I think I’m just going to ask her out. Like on a proper date. She hasn’t been getting my hints.” Sousa looked over at Steve, even though he couldn’t see him in the darkness. “You think she’d say yes, right?”

Steve was glad they were in a dark corner and that Sousa couldn’t see him roll his eyes. “You know, what if she is getting your hints and just doesn’t want to go out with you?”

Steve got a dark satisfaction from watching the man deflate a bit. “Well, I mean, she’s single, and older, and doing the job she does… what choice does she have?” He shrugged. “Just because I got a bum leg doesn’t mean I’m not as good as the next guy. She wouldn’t have to work anymore.”

Steve shook his head, looking out the window. “She wants to work,” he murmured. He turned back to Sousa, hands hitting his thighs as he took a deep breath. “Look, as someone who knows Peggy well, I’m telling you she’s not going to say yes.”

Steve saw the look in the man’s eyes change. “You’re just trying to hone in on her yourself. Look, Rogers. I know you two worked together for a long time, but you had your shot. It’s mine now.” He put both his hands on the wheel and looked straight forward, his mouth a tight line. “I’m asking her, and she’s saying yes.”

~*~

* * *

He warned her. That night in bed. The next morning. The evening after that at dinner. He told her it was coming and she needed to be ready for it.

Peggy had just smiled at him, told him it was nothing to worry about, and went about her day.

Until Friday, when Sousa showed up after lunch with a bunch of daisies and asked Peggy to go to dinner with him that night in front of half the SSR.

Including Steve, Thompson, and Dooley.

“Aw hell,” Dooley had murmured shutting himself in his office.

Thompson leaned over, elbowing Steve in the ribs. “Ten bucks she says yes.”

Steve raised his eyebrows at the man, whispering back. “Twenty she says no.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Peggy clipped out, turning and eyeing Steve. He just smiled at her.

“So what do you say, Peggy?” Sousa held out the bouquet, eyes hopeful. Peggy just reached out, clasped her hand around his wrist, and dragged him away. The room erupted with hoots and hollers, insinuating something inappropriate was about to happen as she pushed through the double doors and out into the hall to give them some privacy.

Thompson held out his hand. “Pay up.”

“That’s not a yes,” Steve replied, meandering towards the door after them to see if he could hear their conversation. He couldn’t, but it didn’t matter.

Sousa loped back in the room, face dreary, flowers still in his hands.

Thompson went over to his friend. “What did she do, kill your dog?”

“More like neutered me.” Sousa sat at his desk heavily, tossing the flowers on it. “She’s seeing someone.”

Steve walked past them men, holding his hand out and waiting until Thompson peeled off bills from his money clip before he shrugged and said “I told ya so,” before he walked away.

“Did she say who?” Thompson asked, sitting on the corner of the desk.

“Nah, she said it didn’t matter who it was.”

Steve sat at his desk and smirked, holding in his laughter. He’d brought it on himself. If only Steve could stand up right now and tell the entire office that it was him- he was the one Peggy Carter chose from now until forever, he’d be so happy.

He was already very, very happy. But he could be just a little happier.

Tomorrow, Sousa was getting a paperclip in his coffee.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place immediately after the last chapter and concludes this little story.

Peggy walked through the door calmly, but as soon as she did the quiet murmurs of the bullpen stopped completely. She looked at everyone in the silence. “What?” She looked behind her and spun around sarcastically, a dark look in her face. “Have a got a run in my stocking?”

Krzeminski looked at her harshly. “You know what you did.”

She stared, but then moved past them all to knock on Dooley’s office. He called for her to enter and she did, the silence revealing her muffled asking to work from home for the rest of the day.

“See? She’s embarrassed.” Thompson kicked at Sousa’s good leg, trying to cheer him up.

Steve just rolled his eyes as she came back out and started collecting things from her desk. He wanted to go over, ask if she was ok, remind her he warned her that this was coming, and fold her in his arms. He’d have to make due with giving her a call from the phone down the hall in an hour or so once he knew she was home and he wouldn’t look suspicious.

“So who is it, Carter?” Thompson asked, leaning out and acting for all the world like a big brother standing up for Sousa. “Who’s the guy who is better than Danny boy here?”

Peggy stopped, standing tall. “Not only is that none of your business, it doesn’t matter who it is.”

“Yeah it does,” Krzeminski said harshly, “’Cause I think you’re lying. You ain’t got a guy. No way you got a guy.”

“No way I have a guy?” Peggy asked, hands landing on her hips, purse and papers forgotten on her desk. “And what, pray tell, would preclude me from having a guy?”

Sousa looked up for the first time, his voice deadly low. “You’re a ball busting bitch.”

The whole room was silent. Peggy’s jaw fell. Steve’s fists clenched. Sousa looked back down at his hands. Dooley poked his head out from his office slowly, hoping he hadn’t heard what he thought he heard.

Thompson stuttered. “That’s… that’s too far, Danny. You should…”

“No, no I’m glad that’s out in the open. Glad to know where I stand with everyone.” Peggy shuffled her hands, grabbing at papers she couldn’t quite form into a pile when two large hands fell on hers.

“You’ll be leaving these, Peg.” He slid the papers to the side and handed her her purse, all while keeping hold of one of her hands and folding his fingers in hers.

“Rogers…” Dooley started.

He stood tall, face set as if he were going to battle. “I’ll be going home, chief, with my wife.” Steve turned, starting to lead the surprised Peggy through the bullpen, but stopped. “We both put up with a lot, from all of you, but I’m done. I won’t let her be treated like this anymore.”

He pulled them through the middle of the desks, the room still stunned, when he stopped and looked down as Sousa with eyes on fire. 

Peggy slipped her bag on her shoulder and grabbed his bicep with her hand. “Steve?” He looked down at her, his need for a fight plain on his face. “If anyone will be punching him it’s me,” she took a deep breath and turned her eyes from Steve to Sousa, “And he’s not worth either of our efforts.”

Steve leaned down, kissing her in a short, hard press of their lips before moving forward and pushing through the double doors.

Sousa broke the silence once they were gone. “Did he have to kiss her, like he was marking his territory or something?”

Thompson, to his credit, looked surprised. “You just called Captain America’s wife a ball busting bitch… to her face… in front of him. You’re lucky you’re not dead.”


End file.
